Explaining Health Care Reform: Questions About the Extension of Dependent Coverage to Age 26

The new health reform law requires private health insurers that offer dependent coverage to children to allow young adults up to age 26 to remain on their parent’s insurance plan. This provision is among the first in the reform law to take effect, and it increases the availability of insurance to a population that currently has a high uninsured rate.

This short summary answers basic questions about the dependent coverage expansion and explains how the new law will interact with current state laws.